Celebrating Windrush – grants available for local communities

962023 is a time to mark two significant 75th anniversaries – the founding of the NHS and the arrival of the MV Empire Windrush in the United Kingdom.

The launch of the NHS of 5 July 1948 and the arrival of the Empire Windrush 13 days earlier on 22 June are inextricably linked. Many of the ship’s 492 passengers took up jobs in the NHS and helped to build the service to what it is today.

The help mark the 75th anniversary of Windrush, the National Lottery Community Fund and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities have launched grant schemes to support celebrations.

The National Lottery Community Fund is offering grants of up to £10,000. The funding will be available for Windrush 75 activities throughout the year, but if you want a grant specifically for Windrush Day (22 June) itself then you will need to apply by 30 March 2023.

The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities’ Windrush Day Grant Scheme 2023 has a total pot of £750,000, offering grants of between £5,000 to £50,000. Applications close on 22 February 2023.

Commenting on the Windrush’s 75th anniversary, Amanda Pritchard, Chief Executive of NHS England, said:

“The 75th anniversary of the arrival of the Windrush is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the work of our Black and other ethnic minority colleagues and their significant contributions to the National Health Service, which is also marking its 75th year.

“From 1948 to today, the NHS has always welcomed talent from around the world. Many of the new arrivals’ contributions to the health service helped to create a new and free health care system for all. They were critical to the formation of the NHS, and I am honoured to work alongside their descendants and generations that followed in their footsteps.”